Dear Reader:
Welcome to CrimsonReplay.com, a media institution that has been taking shape in my head for more than 30 years.
Long before any of us dreamed of the marvelous possibilities of the Internet, I began my journalism career as a teenager, too young to drive, for small newspapers in northern Alabama…covering the Crimson Tide and the Southeastern Conference during the latter stages of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s unprecedented run.
I remember how it felt to sink into the quicksand of Bryant’s office couch without springs, peering into a fog of smoke drifting from his unfiltered Chesterfield…and how it felt when the news arrived that he had died, 28 days after coaching his final game.
My journalism career has taken me far and wide since then, from Birmingham to Los Angeles to New York to Atlanta, chasing deadlines for some of America’s most important media brands in a variety of capacities. National college football writer. Magazine editor. Author. Publishing entrepreneur.
If you have read my books, seen me on television, or heard me on radio, you probably know that college football history has evolved into a specialty of mine—especially the illustrious tradition of the Crimson Tide, which has achieved a remarkable standard of excellence since the Roaring Twenties.
Our mission at CrimsonReplay.com is to cover Alabama football history as a distinct beat—to examine the people and events that have shaped the evolution of the Crimson Tide and to illuminate the shadows with context, narrative sophistication, and an untrammeled passion for the game.
CrimsonReplay.com: Where Champions Live.
The technological advances of recent years have allowed us to create a cutting-edge magazine for a new age—and I am especially grateful to media producer Jonathan W. Hickman and technology manager Joe Beamon for their dedication and creativity in helping bring my vision to life. Thanks also to the Alabama sports information office, particularly Doug Walker, Brenda Burnette, Kent Gidley, and Barry Allen, and to the staff of the Bryant Museum, especially Ken Gaddy and Taylor Watson, for all their invaluable continuing assistance.
The development process began in October 2008, but the origins of all this 21st century journalism can be traced to the Bryant era, when I began assembling my extensive interview archive, allowing you to hear the voices of a long list of important figures, from Depression era ’Bama star Fred Sington to the late Southern Cal coach John McKay.
As you will see, CrimsonReplay.com is a multi-media experience that includes in-depth written content that updates monthly (Going Deep, Playing Favorites, Keeping Score); encyclopedic written content that serves as a permanent resource (Big Picture, Seasons, Alabama Timeline); branded and conceptual Internet television shows with new episodes every month (Distant Replay and Tailgate Showdown); branded and conceptual Internet radio shows with new episodes every month (Time Capsule and In the Huddle); and various interactive features (CR Community, CR Forum and other elements in development) that allow you to make a little history of your own.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure into the past and the future.
Welcome home.
Warmest Regards, Keith Dunnavant
